Budget-friendly menus

I don't normally watch Oprah, but I'd seen commercials for today's episode featuring Cat Cora, Tyler Florence, and Curtis Stone. The idea is that they were helping families (read: moms) learn how to save money on groceries and cook delicious, healthy meals. The featured families were living on frozen processed food, take-out, and junk food. I forget that lots of people don't know how to plan menus and shop for and prepare food. I'm assuming that if you're reading a food blog, you're not part of that group, but I'm going to soapbox for a minute. (Do feel free to pass this along to your friends who may need a little help or encouragement, though.) The professional chefs taught these women what I've learned through experience. Cooking is cheaper and often faster than eating out or preparing frozen dinners. (Okay, it will take longer than heating a Lean Cuisine, but you won't be hungry an hour later.) And cooking isn't hard if you do a little planning first.

As a new bride, I alternated between cooking the way my mom cooked (and buying groceries the way my mom bought groceries) and trying out new recipes (mostly casseroles) in the cookbooks I received as wedding gifts. I worked full time, and Nick and I were both full-time students. I often forgot to take meat out to thaw. I often threw away produce that spoiled before we used it all. And we often went out because I would finally decide what to cook, only to find that I was missing a crucial ingredient. Oh, and it turns out my husband is not wild about casseroles. I realized that the only way to avoid missing and still-frozen ingredients was to plan ahead. I learned to avoid spoiled produce by buying only what I needed for the week, instead of stocking up for the month. (Did I mention that my mom lives 45 minutes from the nearest grocery store?) I also learned that casseroles are not necessarily time-saving, because they usually involve a lot of prep. So... I watched a lot of Food Network, read a lot of cookbooks, and found my cooking style. I like fresh ingredients. I like dishes that look like they took a lot of time and effort, but are actually very quick and easy. And, above all, the food must be delicious. Every recipe must taste better than the amount of effort it took to prepare it. Otherwise, it's just not worth it.

I do my grocery shopping on Monday, so every Sunday I check the fridge and pantry to see what I have to work with. These ingredients are my starting point. I try to plan my menu so that I use what I have, and buy as little as possible. When our CSA is in full swing, I plan the menu around the vegetables we get from Keith and Jill. What if the cupboard is bare? Then I think about what I want to eat, or I flip through cookbooks for inspiration.

For example, the last 2 weeks' menus started with the following inventory: red lentils, basmati rice, no-boil lasagna noodles (I buy 2 or 3 boxes when they're on sale at Kroger), canned black beans, canned tomatoes, a can of cream of mushroom soup (why did I buy that?), wild rice, cornmeal, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, half a jar of marinara, half a pound of turkey sausage, ham (leftover from making muffuletta pizza), baby carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes (the vegetables were left over from a vegetable tray, also on sale, that I bought last week to use for fondue dippers), frozen salmon fillets, frozen butter beans, frozen corn, frozen yellow squash, and frozen grated zucchini (put up this summer). I always have bananas, butter, flour, milk, buttermilk, eggs, olive oil, and lots of spices on hand.

So, here's the menu-- lunches and dinners. Sunday: butterbeans and cornbread; crockpot Cincinnati chili lasagna (an experiment that turned out surprisingly well). Monday: grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade bread (love my bread machine); stewed lentils over rice. Tuesday: eggs in a basket, cheddar biscuits; salmon with tomato jam (canned this summer). Wednesday: black bean soup, Southwestern Monte Cristos; corn cakes with sauteed shrimp. Thursday: sausage-rice casserole; zucchini orzo. Friday: slow cooked squash with herbs. Saturday: zucchini pancakes. Sunday: mushroom lasagna. Confession: Somehow the menu got a little off... so some of these meals were moved to the next week. We had Sunday lunch with friends. Spaghetti and meatballs for supper. (Yes, I had to buy all of those ingredients except the breadcrumbs, cheese, and eggs. And, yes, I bought a jar of marinara because we're out of Nick's marinara. It's easy to make, though. See link below.) Monday: baked potatoes (planned, but we ended up eating out b/c Bella's dr. appt. took so long); portobello mushroom lasagna. Tuesday: baked potatoes with broccoli; empanadas. Wednesday: leftovers; zucchini pancakes. Thursday: sausage-rice casserole; spanokopita. Friday: squash pizza. We'll be out of town this weekend. That means I've still got recipes and groceries left over to use when we get back! Oh, and in case you're wondering, my grocery list on Monday: orange juice, milk, eggs, bananas, cilantro, onion, broccoli, veggie sausage, and ham (I used it all for the eggs in baskets and had none left for the Monte Cristos).

Before you get overwhelmed, I normally plan just one week at a time. It just so happens that this week and last are a little different for me. Monday and Thursday evenings and Wednesday lunch are crazy for me right now, so I try to plan leftovers or meals that I can prepare ahead of time and Nick can heat or finish while I'm gone. Other than that, the days are more a check to make sure I plan enough meals. I usually leave at least one meal a week open, in case we get a craving for something different or we decide to eat out with friends.

This is a long, rambling post, but it boils down to this: Check your pantry and fridge. Work with what you've got. Make a plan and shop accordingly. You'll be amazed at how much easier and more enjoyable preparing meals can be!

Oh, back to Oprah-- each of the celebrity chefs has posted a week's worth of menus at http://www.oprah.com/ . The dishes they showed looked yummy, and I can personally vouch for Cat Cora's cinnamon stewed chicken. It sounds weird, but is beyond cheat-worthy. Seriously, it's incredible. In fact, I'm putting it on the menu for next week. Below are links for a few of the things I've fixed this week and last.

And what am I serving for dinner tonight? That's a good question... maybe spanokopita... Then again, maybe not, since I haven't taken the spinach out to thaw.


Recipe links:
spaghetti and meatballs: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/real-meatballs-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

eggs in a cup: www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Breakfast/story?id=6947204

tangy tomato jam: www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10685?section

I promise to post the recipe for stewed lentils soon. It's super yummy, and super easy.